


The Challenge

by zeldaluvr1



Series: The Heavy Crown [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Sburb Session
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-23
Updated: 2013-04-08
Packaged: 2017-12-06 04:55:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/731664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeldaluvr1/pseuds/zeldaluvr1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You've been trained for this moment your entire life. You knew this moment would come the moment you were hatched. It's never frightened you before - if anything, it's excited you!</p>
<p>But now that you see the Condesce in front of you, you can't believe you could have ever looked forward to the day where you would battle the queen for her crown.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Curtains

**Author's Note:**

> Dangarang, look at that, I'm making an AU. I don't even know what I'll call it. But it's definitely a thing I've given a lot of thought to and it's definitely a thing I'm going to continue aw yes. Please enjoy it! uvu

Sollux Captor was the first to come of age.

You had never really known him, but you were fairly good friends with his matesprit, Aradia. And it was easy to tell that she was beside herself with grief. A Psionic that powerful wouldn't be given an option to find some common occupation on a distant colony. He'd live out the rest of his days as an engine, and he'd be expected to treat it as an honor. It was sad, yeah, but at the time, you figured a Psionic would be the only one sad about Ascending.

But then Vriska aged up and out, and on the night before her departure, she didn't seem to happy about it either.

When you asked why, the tone she used was that of confusion. "Why would anyone 8e happy a8out 8eing forced out of their home just 8ecause some sea8itch is paranoid a8out a revolution?" You could almost hear the sneer over the internet. "I have to leave my home, the life I'd 8uilt up all my life, my friends, and my lusus worst of all. I don't even know if I'll ever see any of you guys again." That last point was an irrefutable one, and with your own 10th sweep lying only perigees away, you started to feel the first hints of apprehension. Still, you were convinced that Vriska was just a weirdo and that everyone else would be happy about leaving Alternia.

But Kanaya was forced into the brooding caverns.

And Tavros was unlucky enough to be drafted into the cavalry.

And Gamzee wasn't allowed to have his moirail.

You had never known adulthood had come with so many rules. You'd always thought it was a ticket to freedom and endless opportunity! (Unless you were a lowblood.) But it seemed even the colder bloods had a social expectation they either had to adhere to or die for disobedience. And you'd never really thought about that before.

The night before Aradia was going to leave, you asked why everyone you'd spoken to absolutely _dreaded_ leaving Alternia and becoming an adult. And again you were met with confusion.

"i would think you of all people would be most afraid of growing up? because youre going to die and all"

You never thought of Ascension as a positive thing after that.

Soon after Aradia left and soon before it was your own turn, Eridan left you behind. But not before you got to spend some pale time with him. It was one of the rare occasions where the two of you met and cuddled and watched movies. You'd always joked about how you'd do it all the time when you grew up, but now you didn't really think it'd be possible. The Condesce had killed hundreds of starry-eyed Heiresses before you, and you were sure you would be added to the pile. Eridan did his best to comfort you, but it was difficult for him to be that kind of friend, and it always had been. You don't blame him for being a bad moirail sometimes. "You are going to win," he promised, "and you are going to be the greatest Empress anyone's ever seen." And he kissed your forehead and told you he loved you and tried his damnedest to cheer you up, but you were inconsolable.

He left while you were asleep. You guessed he didn't have the heart to say goodbye. Goodbyes are sad, so you couldn't blame him.

Soon enough, the night had finally arrived where you would leave the only world you'd ever known behind. All the friends you knew well had already left, so only Terezi had said goodbye and good luck. You were sad that everyone who cared about you had left, but just as you were about to go to sleep, a message popped up for you to read. From Karkat! It turns out that you were wrong - ALMOST all of your close friends had left.

"HEY FEFERI," came his casual greeting, and you returned it with a much more cheerful one. You were trying your hardest to be cheerful. "I MADE THIS HUGE POST THING ABOUT YOU GOING AWAY TO FIGHT THE CONDESCE BUT I DECIDED IT WAS FILLED WITH TOO MUCH BULLSHIT SO I JUST WANT TO SAY, 'GOOD LUCK.'" You laughed at him and were in the middle of replying when he quickly sent another message. "WAIT NO, THAT'S NOT ALL I WANT TO SAY." And he quickly typed out one of the kindest messages anyone had ever sent you before:

CG: I WANTED TO SAY, "LUCK IS A BUNCH OF MALARKY, YOU DON'T NEED THAT SHIT. YOU'RE FEFERI PEIXES, ONE OF THE STRONGEST-WILLED TROLLS I'VE EVER KNOWN. LUCK CAN TAKE A FUCKING HIKE, BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT IT ALL UNDER CONTROL."  
CG: OKAY THAT MIGHT NOT EXACTLY BE WHAT I WANTED TO SAY BUT  
CG: YOU KNOW WHAT  
CG: FUCK IT  
CG: FEFERI, I BELIEVE IN YOU, AND I BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN, AND I BELIEVE YOU'RE GOING TO WIN AND BE THE GREATEST THING THAT'S EVER COME OF OUR ENTIRE RACE.  
CG: BECAUSE YOU'RE PRETTY MUCH THE MOST AMAZING PERSON TO HAVE EVER LIVED.  
CG: THE CROWN HAS BEEN HISTORICALLY CORRUPT AND SEATED UPON THE HORNS OF TYRIAN TYRANTS AND GENOCIDAL MANIACS. AND YOU'RE NOT EITHER OF THOSE THINGS. YOU'RE NICE AND YOU'RE SMART AND YOU'RE JUST  
CG: A REALLY GOOD PERSON  
CG: AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET CULLED BY THAT SEA HAG BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO.  
CG: YOU'VE WORKED TOO HARD FOR THIS MOMENT. THE FACT THAT I AND ARADIA AND TAVROS EVEN LIVED THIS LONG IS A TESTAMENT TO THAT.  
CG: I MEAN  
CG: WHATEVER, FUCK IT, YEAH I'M A LOWBLOOD. CONSIDER THAT LITTLE TIDBIT YOUR GRADUATION GIFT I GUESS.  
CG: BUT WHAT IS MY HUE????????? THE UNIVERSE MAY NEVER KNOW THIS MYSTERY OF MYSTERIES.  
CG: TANGENT. ANYWAYS.  
CG: FUCK I LOST MY THUNDER  
CG: UH  
CG: DON'T DIE  
CG: BECAUSE THERE IS NO WAY I'M BECOMING GRAND THRESHECUTIONER UNLESS YOU'RE IN CHARGE. LET'S FACE THE MUSIC.  
CG: KNOCK HER FOOTGLOVES OFF, PRINCESS.  
CG: YOU'RE GONNA DO GREAT.

Was it a little sad that Karkat's little rant was one of the nicest things you've ever heard? Yeah, it was, but you didn't care. It was sweet. He was sweet. It made you sad to think that you may never see him again.

The two of you talked for a little bit and you opened up to him in a way that you never had to anyone (aside from Eridan) before, and he was just so kind and understanding and amazing about it that you couldn't help but fall in love with him a little bit. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but you definitely remembered him as one of the sweetest trolls you've known. And you're gonna miss him.

He had given you the courage to fight. And for that, you're always going to be indebted to him.

The day passed. The curtains rose. An escort waited patiently for the Heiress to prepare.

Your name is Feferi Peixes. And soon you'll be fighting to keep your life.


	2. The Capital

Not all adults left Alternia after the Summoner's Rebellion.

It would've been impossible to do that. Alternia was the home planet, the capital, the center of the Troll universe. While it's forbidden for a troll to reclaim it as their home, it is still visited with express permission from the royal court, under close surveilance of the royal guard.

Centuries had gone into the creation of the Capital City. No one could leave this monument of power and progress in the hands of a pack of wrigglers.

Not only that, but there had to be some place that Ascending children could go to for deportation. The Capital City is occupied mostly by military recruiters and employers and slave traders hoping to net young adults and set them in their career - but in the case of slavery and military recruitment, trolls of any hue lower than indigo are hardly ever given a choice.

There, in the center of the Capital City, lies the Royal Palace. It is just as beautiful a monolith as it is fear-inspiring. Every troll knows that for each brick placed in the walls, a troll broke their back and shed their blood to create it. And for sweeps and sweeps, the palace lays empty and those lives are lost for nothing.

Most lives are lost for nothing in your species.

Before boarding the ships to leave the planet, every troll visits the palace - no one is allowed beyond the gates, but each troll must read aloud the engraving upon a statue set before the entrance. A statue of the current reigning queen, set atop a throne made of the skulls of every Empress before her. The engraving reads:

Death to the weak  
Torture to the trecherous  
Shame to the meek  
Glory to the victorious

That is the creed of the Alternian. Every troll, from rust to royalty, is expected to keep those words in mind to the day they die. The mantra is carved into every pillar, every text book, and every moment of history.

And you hate it.

-

You arrive in the Capital at the hour where the sun is low enough in the sky that its rays aren't harmful anymore. The royal guard stands at attention on every corner, and you are met with piercing, cold gazes from each of them. It's as if you're being tested before you've even challenged the Empress. At each side of you stands a Threshecutioner, sent to make sure that you don't try to run. As if you'd ever be stupid enough to try - you know what happens to trolls who run from deportation

No. If you're going to die, it's going to be done with all the dignity expected of an Empress.

Your arrival will spark a week-long celebration in honor of your challenge. The hatching of an Heiress is seen to be a sign of good fortune, but to expect you to ascend is an act of treason against the Empress. You're a little sad you won't be able to enjoy the festivities with the rest of the city. The Empress won't even show up until the end of the week - it used to be that Heiress and Empress would celebrate together and talk and learn from one another, but that practice ended only a few cycles ago when an Heiress tried to cheat and poisoned the Empress to ensure victory. So you'll be left alone in the dark and empty palace, with no one but the whisperings of your lusus to keep you company.

Some Heiresses commit suicide in that time.

Your escorts lead you to the front gate, and you stand a moment to stare at the statue of the Empress. She's so tall, so imposing, so frightening from up there - and you're so young that you haven't even hit your growth spurt yet. You're tiny and fragile compared to her. And she's killed so many challengers before you...

But it's strange. By all rights, you should be terrified of the woman. But you're not. For a moment, the words of Karkat and Eridan return to the front of your mind, and you can't help but smile a little. 'If I have to win to live,' you tell yourself, 'then I guess I'll just have to win.'

And it's that simple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow i'm super sorry this chapter is so short and weird
> 
> i kinda wrote it during a 16 hour drive to san francisco and uh
> 
> yes
> 
> enjoy??


	3. The Castle

The Palace is cold and unwelcoming in its dark, vast emptiness. The first thing you do is go about and light some candles - there are plenty strewn about to light the way. You read once of a lighting ceremony for the palace, but you suppose the practice was abandoned along with the show of good will shared between Heiress and Empress. What a shame.

Now that the main hall of the castle is brightened enough to where you can see, you can tell that the place is truly massive, and once it may have been quite beautiful. Even though it's been abandoned for so long, it can hardly be said that it's fallen into disrepair. Windowless walls of obsidian reach up into the sky in the entrance hall, and flowing fountains of seawater, filled with brilliant fish and colorful coral, make the path to a deep pool that leads all the way to the sea - and in the center, a golden throne. Your breath catches in your throat when your eyes fall upon it.

The wall behind the throne is covered completely with an amazing portrait of Her Great and Glorious Condescension. Her eyes gaze down upon you with the judgment of a thousand sweeps, and you shudder under the painting's gaze. She is beautiful and terrible all at once.

You can't look at it anymore. You turn your eyes down to your feet and jump down into the ocean.

Your lusus should be arriving soon.

-

You can't tell if Gl'bgolyb is happy to see you. It's difficult to say if you're even glad to see her.

You've always been close to your lusus. Her soothing whispers would ease the loneliness of your solitude, and her prophecies would always mesmerise you and fill your dreams with hope and wonder. Yoų a̴re the fav̨orite child, my ̕l̛ittle̵ darling, she would tell you in her beautiful, terrible voice. You wìlļ l̶ive ̡t́o see power and wealt̶h. The univ̨ers̵e shall fall to its ̛k̀n̡ees in your honor.

Something tells you she tells all the Heiresses that.

 _Hello, my favo̷rite̵ chìld_ , she coos as you swim up to her. She offers you a tentacle and you hug and kiss it affectionately. It appears she can tell that you're beginning to be touched by apprehension. _Do ̶ǹot͝ ̷be̷ f͡r̴ig͝h͠te̴ned̀ of w̡h̕at̷ ͠lies ̸ah͡e̶ad̸.̵ Your fate ̷is alr̴e̶ady writ̢ten. The̶re is n̴othi̡n̕ǵ ̧t̀hat ca̸n ̕be ̢d͘one to ch͠ange ̴it._

"I know," you mumble, still clinging to your wise and powerful lusus. This week may be the last that you ever spend together - even if you win the battle. "I'm not scared," you assure her. "But... not knowing what's going to happen to me is... daunting."

_T̢h̶e ͏Great͏ and ̛Gl̸orio͏us Que̕en óf́ t̛h͜e Ni̡g̷ht́ ̕hąs ̀pow̴ȩr̢ en̶ouǵh̸ t̷o ̕cr̛u̢sh yo͠u͏ ̵to dust.̧ B́ut th̶e̕ pŗinc̕e of the̴ wrathful ̨cr̵own̛ w̧ill ̴b̵est̴ow a curse ̢on s̶he, ̵and a ̕gift́ to th̵ee, ́that will determ̷in̢e ̕the v̸ictor̢ of ̕the ̧bloo̡dy ̵c̢ŗǫwn̛.̛_

That might not have been as reassuring a prophecy as she might have hoped.

You sigh and fall silent for a good, long while, thinking about everything you've got to worry about. Suddenly you start to worry about Eridan. About Sollux and Aradia. About what'll happen to all your friends if you lose. About what'll happen to the future of Alternia if you lose. "...Do you... believe in me...?" you ask your lusus hesitantly. Her response is short and fills you with hope.

_Ye̡s._

That's all you needed to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another short and weirdly written chapter on the drive to san francisco i'm super sorry
> 
> i'll probably just go back and edit it later so until then just bear with the bad writing. ;v;


End file.
